GLAAD has announced the winners for its Amplifier Awards, celebrating LGBT-inclusiveness in television, print, outdoor, and social media advertising. See the full list at GLAAD’s website, but here are the television campaign winners (Google Chrome/”It Gets Better,” Absolut Vodka/RuPaul’s Drag Race, and Expedia/TripOut):

A judge has declared a mistrial in the case against Brandon McInerney, who at age 14 shot his openly gay classmate Lawrence King in the back of the head twice. The jury voted seven to five of finding McInerney guilty of the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter, essentially a win for the “gay panic” defense McInerney’s lawyers put forth. GLSEN responded to the mistrial, saying, “The central facts remain the same: homophobia killed Larry King and destroyed Brandon McInerney’s life, and adults failed both young men because of their own inability to deal forthrightly and compassionately with the multiple challenges they each faced.” Watch a local news report from KTLA about the trial’s conclusion:

With the simultaneous publication of Transition,his memoir, and release ofBecoming Chaz, his documentary, transgender activist Chaz Bono was seemingly everywhere last May, including on the cover of The Advocate. On Tuesday, when the announcement was made that Bono will appear on the next season of ABC’sDancing With the Stars, it seemed like a win-win for everyone. The network will likely see a new audience for the 13th season of its hit dance competition series. More important, Bono will able to represent trans people on a bigger platform than ever and on a weekly basis. He has potential to shatter expectations and transcend labels.

A Filipino gay man in San Francisco in the United States was spared from being deported to the Philippines and being separated from his life partner, thanks to a new policy that recognizes same-sex marriage as a family tie. According to a report of the Contra Costa Times, the case against Raul Sinense was temporarily closed and the deportation proceedings against him were stopped on August 16.

In an August 31 blog entry, the National Organization for Marriage’s (NOM) Ruth Institute posted aninterview between Nick Gillespie, editor of Reason.tv, and George Gilder, a conservative author and commentator. While the interview covered a wide range of topics, the Ruth Institute was particularly impressed with Gilder’s “analysis of marriage abolition via redefinition,” calling it “excellent”:

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A 6.8-magnitude earthquake in the Pacific Ocean prompted a brief tsunami warning early Friday morning for Alaska’s Aleutian Islands. The warning was canceled after only a small wave was recorded in the community of Atka, Alaska. “In Atka, they had a little bump of a wave, but nothing of any kind of a destructive power. Just a wave,” said Jeremy Zidek, a spokesman for the Alaska Department of Homeland Security. The earthquake struck at about 2:55 a.m. AKDT, and there were no initial reports of injuries or damage, according to the United States Geological Survey.

HARARE, Zimbabwe — A top research group on Thursday rated Zimbabwe’s capital as the worst of 140 world cities in which to live. The British-based Economist Intelligence Unit said its researchers excluded cities in Libya, Iraq and other war zones. Harare, where power and water outages occur daily, scored a 38 percent “livability rating,” the group said. The group said the threat of civil unrest and the availability of public health care and public transport in Harare were intolerable. Energy and water supplies were undesirable, it said, calling phones and Internet services uncomfortable. Zimbabwe formed a shaky coalition government in 2009 after years of political violence and economic meltdown. Melbourne and Vienna were rated the two easiest cities to live in.

Share this:

The only problem I see with this, is the men’s bathroom will be crowded with conversation of beard conditioning tips and how to wax the perfect mustache. You may also get a storm of beard fetishist following these bearded, turban wearing Sikhs around the office. Mike Enders

NEW YORK: Sikhs in the US will be allowed to wear turbans and grow beards in federal agencies like the police department and transit authority after New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg on Wednesday signed into law a bill that will ensure freedom for employees to practice religious beliefs at workplace. The ‘Workplace Religious Freedom’ bill was initiated by civil rights group Sikh Coalition and sponsored by Queens democrat council member Mark Weprin. In signing the law, Bloomberg said employers must make a “reasonable accommodation” for an employee’s religious practices unless following such practices creates an “undue hardship” . MORE

For the first time in his life, 50-year-old Art Wagner is growing a beard. He wants people to ask why.

He will tell them that he is a survivor of prostate cancer, the second-leading cause of cancer death in men. He will tell them that he has started Septembeard, a charitable organization dedicated to raising money for research on prevention, better treatments and a cure.

Wagner is hoping men will grow facial hair during September, National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, and that people will sponsor the hair growth by donating to his brand-new nonprofit, which officially opens today (Sept. 1.) The money goes directly to one of six leading research institutions on prostate cancer: UCSF, Johns Hopkins, Memorial Sloan-Kettering, the Mayo Clinic, MD Anderson and Northwestern University. Continue reading →

Grace Jones just wowed the crowd with her performance at London’s Wireless Festival on 3 July. Now, her Wall Of Sound, have announced Hurricane Dub – a special edition version of Grace Jones’ 2008 LP. Due for release on September 5 2011. “Her first album since 1989’s Bulletproof Heart, Hurricane – considered by some to be one of her best records – was supported by a major international tour, receiving praise from audiences and critics alike. The dub version of the album brings a new, dark dynamic to her signature vocals and crashing bass lines (news.pinkpaper.com).” As if that wasn’t tempting enough, just lay your eyes on the cover artwork. Grace teamed up with her once creative partner, Jean-Paul Goude, and magic happened once again. Like a sparkly disco ball, Grace covers her shiny head with a trade mark Philip Treacy hat.

A 20-year-old Salt Lake City gay man was attacked and hospitalized last Friday night as he left the downtown club, Club Sound. Dane Hall was in the hospital for four days, lost six teeth and his jawbone was broken in three places. This is a dirty rotten shame on the human race! Mike Enders

Hall said he left Club Sound, which is gay-themed on Friday nights, and crossed the street to the corner of 600 West and 200 South in Salt Lake City, when four men approached him and began yelling gay slurs. He was then punched in the back of the head and knocked to the ground. One of the assailants grabbed his shirt and began punching him in the face, he said. After Hall fell to the ground again, the attacker grabbed him, placed his open mouth over the street curb and stomped on the back of head, knocking out six teeth in a move commonly referred to as ‘curb checking,’ which can result in death in many cases. Two other assailants kicked him repeatedly in the stomach, Hall said. The attackers called him a ‘fag’ and took his identification and $40, he said.

“I could have died. And a piece of bone from my jaw was jammed into my brain, to make things worse,” Hall said in email correspondence because his jaw is still wired shut after the attack. “If anyone has any information leading to the arrest I am offering a $10,000 reward.” Continue reading →

The Relativity points us in the direction of this excellent Autumn/Winter 2011 collection from Japanese designe, Taishi Nobukuni. The former St Martins student spent time working under British tailor Charlie Allen and has used these formal skills to create a traditional but highly individual collection. Influences seem to be plucked from all over, Dandy, country gent, even a little 70s pimp for good measure and while some pieces push the boundaries there are enough wearable looks to deem this an accessible collection. (Selectism)

I would give my left testicle for this couch, but for now I will hold on to my testicles and head to The Minneapolis Institute of The Arts (MIA) and check out this amazing collection of furniture from 1945 and on. Mike Enders

The Minneapolis Institute of The Arts (MIA) is showing an exhibit on modern design through September 11, featuring design and designers from the post-World War II era to the present. From the museum: (via www.curatedmag.com)

American and European designers over the last six decades have explored abstraction of form, new technologies, new materials, and adventurous colors in items for household use. This exhibition focuses on these developments through over thirty examples of furniture, industrial design, jewelry, and other consumer objects, including notable recent acquisitions. Works by Americans Charles and Ray Eames, Harry Bertoia, Frank Gehry, and Michael Graves, as well as Europeans Eero Aarnio, Piero Fornasetti, and Jens Quistgaard, are among the designers included.

Sex For Tuition: Gay Male College Students Using ‘Sugar Daddies’ To Pay Off Loan Debt

NEW YORK — Three years ago, during his junior year at New York University, Kirk met with a financial aid officer to plead a familiar case: his inability to manage the yearly payments on his $50,000 tuition bill. Once again, the school official reminded Kirk that in order to register for next semester’s courses, he needed to come up with another $8,000 — or risk expulsion. Kirk nearly divulged his secret to the loan officer, finally letting her know exactly what he had resorted to in a desperate attempt to finance his education. Midway through college, Kirk had begun turning tricks in order to pay for school.

The superstition that helped convict three innocent men in West Memphis is the same concept still used against LGBT people — a phenomenon called Satanic panic. I’m not sure what it was that brought the name into my head. Maybe it was God. Maybe it was one of my synapses misfiring. For some reason, Rebecca Brown popped into my head not long ago. Brown wrote two books, He Came to Set the Captives Free and Prepare for War. My mother insisted that I read both when I was in junior high school. The books told the story of Brown and her “associate,” Elaine, and their self-described journey through Satanism.

Last night, ABC’s Primetime Nightline ran an hour-long special on transgender identities, focusing in particular on the experiences of transgender young people. Overall, the special was positive and affirming, but it also fell into some journalistic traps and missed some important opportunities to highlight challenges the transgender community faces. Here are five critiques of last night’s special. 1. FALSE BALANCE: One of the five segments focused on an adult individual named Charles Kane, who transitioned to female and then back to male. Claiming that he regrets his transition, he had disparaging things to say about the transgender experience, including calling puberty blockers for young trans people “brainwashing.” His experiences are unfortunate, but not representative, and he has absolutely no expertise in transgender health to be critiquing other people’s transitions. His inclusion was unnecessary, irrelevant, and represented false balance .

In an interview that aired on CNN last night, Piers Morgan pressed Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum on his views opposing marriage equality, including his suggestion of agay “jihad” against him. Santorum tried to avoid answering whether he believes homosexuality is a sin, but confirmed that as a Catholic, he subscribes to the Catholic Church’s teachings that indeed it is a sin. Asked how he would respond if one of his sons came out, Santorum said he would be supportive of what he sees as a “very difficult and troubling time in their life,” going on to say he “knows a lot of gay people” and some of them continue to “struggle” even after coming out and “admitting” their identities.

Lyon-Martin Health Services, the pioneering San Francisco clinic that has served women and transgender people for more than 30 years, will start accepting new patients today – eight months after it nearly closed due to financial problems. The clinic’s board of directors voted in late January to shut down the health center, but Lyon-Martin’s patients and supporters decided to put up a fight. They raised more than $500,000 within a matter of months while the clinic’s staff worked internally to stabilize operations, cut expenses and find additional revenue sources for the Market Street clinic.

A 21-year-old mother was arrested by Gilbert, Az., Police on Saturday after she allegedly tried to calm her infant daughter by blowing marijuana smoke in the girl’s mouth. Witness footage allegedly shows Jessica Callaway on Friday telling her 10-month-old to, “shut the f*** up before I kick you in the mouth,” as she repeatedly hits the baby to get her to stop crying, The Arizona Republic reported. Callaway, whose Facebook page is “loaded with postings about pot and parties,” according to ABC-15, told police that she was frustrated because she was “having trouble finding an outfit to wear out that night.”

Think your doctor’s white coat is as clean as a whistle? It might not be. A study finds that dangerous germs could be lurking onnurses‘ and doctors’ uniforms. Researchers from Shaare Zedek Medical Centerin Jerusalem cultured three spots on the uniforms of 75 nurses and 60 physicians working in a 550-bed hospital. Potential pathogens (also known as infectious agents, or germs) were found on 63% of the uniforms, and antibiotic resistant bacteria were found on samples from 14% of nurses’ uniforms and 6% of doctor’s uniforms. Eight of those cultures grew methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, better known as MRSA.

It must be the season for new Richard Swift. Last month we shared the troubadour’s ode to a maimed hand, “Broken Finger Blues,” and today Swift offers up “Whitman,” the first taste from his forthcoming release, Walt Wolfman. A fine ode from one American iconoclast to another, “Whitman” — all propulsive chugging drums and keys — finds Swift’s r&b falsetto in fine form. A vinyl/mp3 only release, look for Wolfman October 18th. (via http://www.aquariumdrunkard.com )

Opening Reception: Friday, September 9th, 8:00 PM – 10:00 PM.
Arturo Cosenza is a San Francisco-based photographer whose recent work is a collection of portraits of local ‘personalities’, such as Phatima and Suppository Spelling. This work marks a new approach in his portraiture style exploring qualities of fantasy and fiction while maintaining a subtle intensity to the subject. Cosenza deems his work to be a collaboration with his subject with the sole intention of allowing unscripted creativity to come through in the process. He says his approach is a direct antidote to the current economic doldrums, “with so many people out of work, we need to have a creative outlet to make something with all the time we have, to bring the City back to life!” Arturo has been living in San Francisco for 16 years. He is a graduate of the San Francisco Art Institute.